Daimler Beginning Test of At-Work Charging of Electric Vehicles

DaimlerDaimlerGermany, 1889 > present12 models
77 photos
1 video
is starting a new pilot program called "charge@work” that is installing 170 EV chargers at five Daimler plants in Stuttgart and creating a fleet of 260 EVs to be shared by employees.

The federally sponsored test aims to develop intelligent charging further. It is part of a larger test in Germany of 40 initiatives to show “the merits of electric mobility” in Germany. It includes over 100 businesses and universities.

The fleet of vehicles includes 220 Smart Fortwo Electric Drivesmart Fortwo Electric DriveGermany, 2008 > present3 photos
models and 40 A-Class E-CellsMercedes-Benz A-Class E-CELLGermany, 2010 > present6 photos
for employees to share for business or private use. Drivers can plug the cars in to charge while at work, and they will be fully charged when they come out.

The cars are free to use for business, but for private use they have to be hired beforehand online on a weekly, monthly or annual basis. Daimler says that it wants its employees to get the experience of driving an electric car without having to pay anything.

The chargers are installed at the Daimler factories in Möhringen, Sindelfingen, Mettingen, Untertürkheim and Böblingen, which are all located around the Stuttgart metropolitan area.